


the code of the republic

by seraf



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Clone Rights, Clone Wars, Coruscant, Episode: s04e14 Escape From Kadavo, Fix-It, Galactic Republic, Gen, Jedi Critical, Zygerria, how do I even tag this, it's meant to be cody & bail but that's . not a tag, senate drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-04
Updated: 2018-10-04
Packaged: 2019-07-25 07:50:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16193246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seraf/pseuds/seraf
Summary: kiros has made the republic stance on slavery be noted; it is not tolerable, and they want to work to eliminate it within their borders. senator organa wonders how far that goes.





	the code of the republic

_i need your voice, senator._

bail organa stands before the senate, as is not unusual for him, with words prepared by a … friend? ally? friend-of-a-friend? cody is someone who he has exchanged words with maybe three times, prior to this, and who has come to his aid twice now. he owes him this much. 

mas amedda barks for order, order, and bail’s chin tilts up slightly, voice even, practiced. ‘ since it has recently come up with the matter on kiros, i would like to reaffirm the republic’s stance on anti-slavery. it has been brought forwards to me that one of the inner core worlds is maintaining an ongoing, even  _thriving_ slave trade that goes ignored by this senate. we must - ‘ 

‘ i have heard of no such thing, senator, ‘ the neimoidian senator says, bringing his seat out into the floor, and, not for the first time in the proceedings of this council, bail wonders if there’s a diplomatic way to punch him in the face. bail does not rise to the bait, simply remaining calm as mas amedda lowers a glower that could melt durasteel at lott dod, who’s pod shrinks back some with him. 

‘ as i was saying, ‘ bail continues. ‘ i have heard of this trade happening within the inner core itself. there has been some debate in the system as to whether or not it counts as slavery. so we have interviewed some of the individuals thus employed. we have disguised their voices, for now, to protect their identities. ‘ 

two recorded voices ring out in the senate; one clearly human and the other masked with some editing and fuzz. the transcript is as follows:

how much are you paid daily?  
 _are you kidding? we aren’t paid._

i see. how strenuous is the labor?  
 _there have been days where millions of us have died. it’s not unlikely you’ll be put to work and be stepping to for fourteen hours straight or standing in place for twenty._

are you allowed control of your lives?  
 _can you … break that down, maybe?_

yes, i’m sorry. do you have control of your bodies?  
 _no. we are marked with barcodes at birth, and growing up is a constant experience of poking and prodding to make sure we’ll serve better. we’re culled if we aren’t good enough._

of your minds?  
 _no. our brains are chipped to prevent us from doing what they don’t want._

what about where you live, where you go?   
 _no. we go only where they order us._

are you the legal property of these people?  
 _yes. their sigil is branded on us and on our clothes. they bought us, and they own our lives. they know it, too._

do you have your own possessions?  
 _no. our bodies aren’t even ours. we aren’t allowed to keep things._

the questions continue on like that. do you have a say in your family, your spouse? what are common punishments for you? what is the punishment of someone else if they killed one of you? 

by the time they stop, there’s a low murmur running through the senate seats, which buzzes into a roar when the recording pauses. bail stands, impassive still. he raises his hands, and the crowd hushes back to a hum. ‘ i ask that we vote now as to whether these people, by the republic’s own anti-slavery laws, are not being treated within the legal parameters of this senate. ‘ 

the board lights up green. more so than he’d expected, actually, and he smiles, to himself more than anything else, low and grim. 

his pod bobs up some, and he finds himself close to the chancellor, who is offering him a warm smile. ‘ a good point to be made indeed, senator. and now that that is settled, can you please reveal to us the planet responsible for continuing this? as a republic, we cannot allow it to continue. ‘ 

bail’s smile is sharp, around the edges. 

the recording starts back up again, shifts to include holo-footage, the voices unscrambled. there’s a clone in orange armor answering questions. then green, then red, then bluepurplecamoflaugeredredbrownorange - hundreds of the same face, speaking honestly. 

‘ coruscant. ‘ 

the senate is silent.


End file.
